Till Death Do Us Part
by glimmerbells
Summary: Elena has been a vampire for the past 147 years. She has given up waiting for her love, Damon, to find her once again. What happens when she sees Damon again, along with the person who ruined her entire life? AR, AT, OOC.
1. Coming Home

'_**Till Death Do Us Part  
><strong>__Elena has been a vampire for the past 147 years. She has finally given up waiting for her love, Damon, and his brother, Stefan, to find her after being separated all those years ago. As she returns to her hometown to live with her descendants, what happens when she sees Damon again, along with the person who ruined her entire life? AR, AT, OOC._

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><p>AR: It is recommended that you view the "Character Profile" for a better understanding of the, well, characters before reading. R&R!

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><p><strong>Chapter One – Coming Home<strong>

Elena felt a lump in her throat as she exited the highway. Her brand new car was blasting out music, and she just had do roll down the window and do a little jiggle. It always seemed to calm her down lately.

Leaving Paris was probably one of the best decisions she had made lately. It was about the fourth time she's visited in the past 15 years, and she was tired of it. Sure, it was beautiful and had deliciously gorgeous men all over the place, but Elena needed substance. It always seemed to be the same thing for her every day: wake up early, have a jog, go to a little café, meet a dashing French man, and spend the rest of the day with him. It was either that or shopping. Hence the huge car she now possessed.

The most ironic song came on the radio about coming home, or something. Elena began to hum to it, thrashing her head around, her hair going everywhere. It was an amazement that she was still able to drive in a straight line. Of course, this was one of the many perks of being a vampire: ultimate perfection.

She didn't feel too perfect when she drove past a sign that read "Welcome to Mystic Falls". She swallowed hard, gripping her steering wheel tightly. It has been 112 years since Elena was in Mystic Falls. It was where everything happened, and where everything ended. She decided to take a quick scope around the town. She was amazed with its improvements, and the old buildings that still stood. She came across what looked like a heavily populated bistro called the Mystic Grill. Catchy name, she thought.

Elena endeavoured into an amount of twisted roads until she arrived at her destination. She parked, admiring the house. It was quaint, and looked like it was built as soon as she left. The garden, she thought, was quite overwhelming, with its vibrant and wild plants that danced around the edges of the house. She admired the gold and glittering letters that spelt out "Gilbert" on the letter box. She rummaged through her bag for her wallet. She pulled out a photograph that looked like it belonged on an ID badge. It was of a young yet middle aged man wearing a doctor's uniform. His brown locks were draped around his face, and Elena couldn't help but compare the man to her own father. At this instance, she shoved the photograph into her bag and got out of the car.

She felt her legs shake as she walked up the drive way, not because she was nervous, but because she was in Mystic Falls. Shaking the feeling out of her body as she reached the front door, she rang the doorbell. She fixed her hair as she waited, and was greeted by the man in the photograph.

It was clear that Grayson Gilbert was taken aback by Elena. She took this as a good thing, smiling up at him. After a few moments of Elena smiling and Grayson looking down at her, he cleared his throat.

"Uh, I don't mean to be rude, but who are you?" he asked.

Elena's smile faded quickly, and was replaced with a look of shock. Who she was? He was supposed to already know. It was a Gilbert's duty to know. Hoping that no other supernatural creature reached here before her, she fixed the problem in the best way she knew how.

"I'm sorry; it's just that, you look so much like my father." She smiled again.

"Y-you're father?" he stumbled, looking at her in confusion.

"Yes, my father. My name is Elena Gilbert, sir, and you must be Dr Grayson Gilbert?" She extended her arm for him to shake it, but just far enough that it didn't pass the frame of the door.

He shook her hand, slowly at first, and then his pace began to quicken as all of the information processed in his head.

"Yes that's me. Gilbert, you say? Does this mean we're related? Because I never knew there was an Elena in the family…" He finished his ramble with a chuckle.

"We are related, but quite distant. I don't mean to rush you, but I just have a question to ask you and then I'll be off." Elena was interrupted with the arrival of a woman next to Grayson. Her long, brown curls danced as she moved around.

"Honey your lunch is getting cold, come and eat it before Jeremy steals it." The woman turned towards the doorway and gasped. "Oh my! I am so sorry! I didn't see you there, child!" Elena grimaced at the woman calling her "child", but quickly turned it into a smile.

"Miranda, this is Elena Gilbert; she says that we're distant relatives. Elena, this is my wife Miranda."

Elena once again extended her arm, and Miranda shook it.

"As I was saying," Elena continued as if they weren't interrupted, "I just have one thing to ask of you. As you should know, the history of the Gilbert family is quite an interesting one, and my father just loves reading our ancestor's journals. He just needs the last box, and apparently it's in your possession. So if you've finished with them, I would like to borrow them. I will return them as soon as my father has finished with them."

Grayson began to laugh, and Miranda raised her eyebrows. "I'm sorry Elena," said Grayson, "but I wouldn't have a single _clue_ about the Gilbert family history, let alone if we had any journals."

Elena frowned at this. How dare he call himself a Gilbert!

"Actually, I think we do have this box," Miranda said, making Elena stop wanting to hurt something. "Honey, could you go down to the basement and get a box named "Gilbert", I'm sure that would've set off some alarm bells." Miranda laughed as Grayson trudged away from the front door. "As for you Elena," Miranda said, turning to her, "would you like to come inside whilst he gets it? I could make you some tea."

Elena gasped. The woman just invited her inside. This was a good thing though, Elena thought. There wouldn't be such a public commotion when they found out what she was.

"I would love to come in, and have some tea," Elena said charmingly, entering the house.

Elena scoped the room, closing the door behind her. In front of the door was the flight of stairs, and when she turned to her right, she saw Miranda pour water into a mug and welcomed Elena into the spacious living room at the same time. The fire roared as Elena sat down on one of the sofas.

"Kids!" Miranda yelled, placing the tea down on the coffee table. "You have to meet them, Elena, since we're family." She gave Elena a warm smile, which she returned.

When Elena turned to see the brother and sister arrive in the living room, she couldn't help think about her own brother. They both had the same coloured hair; a light chocolate brown, and shared many distinguishing features.

"Elena, these are the twins: Evelyn and Jeremy. Kids, this is your distant relative, Elena."

Elena smiled up at them, and both smiled back cautiously. "Related? How?" Jeremy asked.

"Distant cousins, I suppose," Elena replied, sipping her tea and relaxing on the couch.

"Can distant cousins date?" he asked, a smile spreading across his face.

"You're disgusting," Evelyn answered, falling into the couch across from Elena. Jeremy sighed and joined his twin.

Sounds of grunting emerged from the back of the house, and soon Grayson appeared, pushing a large box in front of him.

"Here, let me," Elena said, placing her tea down and walking over to Grayson. She was sick of playing human.

"No, no! I can't carry it, so no offence, I don't th-"

He stopped halfway, his mouth hanging open, along with the rest of the family. Amazement crept into their eyes as Elena simply picked up the box with no effort at all, and placed it down near the fireplace. Sitting down, she noticed the looks they were all giving her. Grayson slowly placed himself between his children, Miranda following suite.

"It will be explained later," Elena said simply. "Open the box; let's see if it's the right one."

Rubbing his eyes, Grayson pulled off the tape on the box, and opened it. A dust cloud formed, with Evelyn blowing it away with her hands. Grayson pulled out a book, which was particularly placed so that it would the first book chosen out of the 50 others. It was leather bound, and locked with a buckle.

"That's the one," Elena said, trying to rush things. "Open it, and read it." Grayson opened his mouth, but Elena silenced him. "Believe me, you need to read it."

Unwillingly, Grayson carefully unbuckled the book open. He slowly turned the parchment, arriving at the first page. He read it aloud:

"Dear Gilbert descendant,

You are about to divulge yourself into the journals I created for about twenty years. I hope that you don't find them a bore, but as an interesting form to learn about your family history.

I started these journals in 1863 in Mystic Falls. After much observation, I had come to the conclusion that vampires, or "demons of the night", were real. Yes, vampires. Please do not think that I am some crazy person, but try to keep an open mind about what I am writing.

A year after starting these observations and researching, I was visited by two young men. These two were vampires. This confirmed my belief that they were real. The eldest begged me to keep someone safe for him. He knew that she was going to die, so he made sure that she would turn into a vampire so that they could meet once more."

Elena snorted very loudly at this point, which made all eyes focus on her.

"Sorry, go on."

"The beginning of a vampire life is the hardest, and since I had such knowledge of vampires, they knew that I could help her survive, and not harm another. Little did I know, this girl was actually my niece.

You see, my mother and father gave me up as I was their child out of wedlock. They both went on to marry and have two other children. It was out of pure coincidence that we both lived in the same English settlement in America.

This journal not only talks of my extended research on vampires, but my life with my niece, and how I helped her to attain her humanity, willingness to live and control her blood thirst. And who may you ask is my niece? Turn over.

Sincerely, Jack Gilbert."

Grayson looked up at Elena. "Vampires, really? _That's_ the Gilbert history your father is so fond of?"

"Ugh, just turn the page already, thanks to your lack of interest of the matter I have to sit through _this_, I have other things to do. So, please turn the page," Elena said hastily, shaking her leg.

Grayson breathed deeply in and out. He then looked back at the journal and turned the page.

"What the-"

To his and his families, great astonishment, they were staring down at an old photo of Elena Gilbert. Her curly hair was placed into a neat bun, and she was looking quite radiant, even though it was a black and white photo.

"Don't forget to look at the other side," said Elena, not even looking up from her nails.

The other side of the parchment showed Elena standing with a man a few years older than her, and two others that looked a lot like her parents.

"I told you you looked like him Grayson, didn't I?" Elena said smugly.

"You have got to be kidding me," said Evelyn, turning on Elena. "This is a really great trick you pulled on us. Well done, I applaud you." She tried to squeeze herself out of the Gilbert sandwich.

"Sit down!" Elena said grimly, and Evelyn stopped moving. "I know how this seems, but just let me explain, I promise you it will all make sense soon."

None of the Gilbert's made a word, which gave Elena the indication that they were listening.

"What the journal said is true. I am a vampire." They all went to say something, but Elena spoke before they could. "And, like all families I visit, I will prove it to you all. Exhibit a: I could pick up that box and you couldn't, Grayson."

After a moment of awkward silence, Elena sighed. "Not good enough. Okay, I'll show you what my favourite food is." Elena opened her bag and pulled out a blood bag.

"Oh dear, please tell me you didn't steal that," Grayson said, throwing the journal back into the box.

"Of course not, I asked them nicely and they gave it to me," Elena replied sarcastically. She opened it, and passed it to Grayson. He flinched when she got close to him, which made her roll her eyes. "Smell it," she said.

Grayson slowly hovered his nose over the opening, and took a few sniffs. "That's blood alright. But how-"

Elena once again cut him off by drinking the blood bag dry. Her eyes began to change; she felt her veins moving rapidly and her fangs seep out of her teeth. She titled her head back as she licked her lips. When she felt her face go back to normal, she faced her descendants.

"Okay, what just happened to your face?" Jeremy blurted out first.

A wicked smile danced across Elena's face. "This face?" She let the thirst over take her senses once more, faced her family and showed off her fangs with an opened mouth. She enjoyed their flinches, and the little scream that escaped Evelyn's mouth. Elena closed her mouth as her fangs disappeared, and sat down again, throwing the blood bag on the coffee table.

They sat for a while; their heavy breathing was the only thing that kept the silence from coming.

"So you're a…" Grayson began, trying to formulate the word 'vampire'.

Elena nodded as she started to play with the rings on her finger. She looked down at her hands to see the diamond ring perched on her pointer finger on her left hand. She sighed, rubbing it delicately. It was something she always did when she felt like her vampire-self was overtaking who she really was. This ring symbolised her mortal life, and her desire to remain the same person she once was.

Elena sighed once more. "Look, I'm sorry if I scared you guys. It's just that, usually whenever I arrive at one of my descendants homes, they've already read the journals and they welcome me straight away. I was just a bit annoyed that you had no interest in the matter whatsoever. But I need to make it clear right now that my family is the most important thing to me. I will _never_ hurt you all in any way that I can, and I will not let anyone else hurt you. Okay?"

Throughout her speech, Elena heard all of their heart rates slow down, along with their breathing. They all began to nod at different times, but in the same slow speed. She could see in their eyes that they didn't fully believe her, and she made it her first personal mission to prove it to them.

"Before I leave to meet my witch (yes, I have a witch), I need to tell you the basic fundamentals that come with the knowledge of vampires."

"Wait, you guys don't sparkle, right? Because that is so lame," said Evelyn, crossing her arms and clearly feeling more comfortable.

"That's a fairy. I'm a real vampire that burns in the sun. The only thing that stops me from turning into a pile of dust is this." Elena held up her right hand and showed the ring that was sitting on her middle finger. It was a large, blue gem that was being cradled in a vine of gold, which continued into the band. "This is a lapis luzili gem. This is the only kind of gem that can be used as a sun protector. My first witch did this for me, and I've had it ever since."

"Ever since, as in … since 1864?" Miranda asked, her hands quivering.

"Yes. I was born in 1847, and was killed in 1864, which makes me about 164 years old."

The Gilbert's eyes averted away from Elena, trying to avoid her gaze. She cleared her throat, and they all looked back at her.

"So just in case you see me looking like this…" Elena said, slowly pulling off the ring. It was just her luck that she sat in the sofa right next to the window. The light began to sear her skin, and torch her senses to her very core. Just as she felt her temperature rise, she shoved the ring back on. As she healed rapidly, she heard many gasps. "You would know that I don't have my ring on," she continued, flipping her hair back. "Get me away from the sun and get me some blood if it gets bad. Following me so far?"

As they all nodded once more, Jeremy opened his mouth. "What about killing a vampire? Is that the same like legend; stake to the heart, holy water, garlic?"

"Sort of," Elena answered, finishing her tea. "I love garlic and holy water is drinkable. But, a stake to the heart can, only if it's wood. Wood bullets, wooden stakes, even a wooden spoon can harm me so much worse than a knife. One stake to the heart and _poof_, bye bye vampire. But as you can see, I heal. So you could stab me right now in the stomach with anything, but it won't make a difference because I will heal."

"So that's it? Just the sun and wood can kill a vampire?" Jeremy asked, clearly becoming more interested by the minute.

"Well, there's something else." Elena opened her bag once more and pulled out a paper bag. She handed it to Jeremy. "In that bag is an herb, called vervain. If I touch it, consume it, or anything like that, I will die. Not immediately though; it sort of works like the sun. Slow death. But I am able to consume a small amount and only get winded. Go on, take it out and brush it along my skin."

Jeremy looked up at Elena, as if he needed to look into her eyes in order to be fully certain that he can do it. "But you've harmed yourself enough today."

"That's sweet and everything Jeremy but I'm already dead. I have gone through days so much worse than a little sunlight and vervain."

Still looking at Elena, Jeremy slowly pulled the vervain plant out of the bag. Hand trembling slightly, he let it touch Elena's palm. She let out a groan as the herb scratched her hand, making it burn. It didn't hurt as much as it usually did, which made Elena smile. She went to sit down again, Jeremy still sitting forward, holding the vervain out.

"It can also protect humans," Elena continued. "You can either wear it or drink it, but I think wearing it is more stylish. I already have some necklaces, bracelets and others that already have vervain in it. That small supply there is yours; plant it somewhere hidden, so you will always have enough supply. Believe me when I say that it's a rapidly growing plant. "

"How can this … _plant_ protect us? Is it just in case a vampire touches us, they'll shrivel up?" Evelyn said sarcastically, laughing at her own joke.

Elena raised her eyebrows. "No. If you wear it, you're protected from compulsion. If you drink it, you're protected from both compulsion and loss of blood."

"Compulsion?" Miranda questioned.

"Compulsion is when a vampire looks deep into a human's eyes and tells them what to do. We 'compel' them as our pupils get smaller. We can also plague your dreams and alter your memory. But like I said, I would never do that or let anyone do that to you; you're my family. Now, other ways a vampire can be killed is by fire, removal of the heart, decapitation of the head and a werewolf bite. Yes, I just said werewolf."

Grayson shook his head. "This is so much information to take in."

"I know it's a lot," Elena replied sympathetically, and she meant it. "But there are only three more things: we're really fast, have amazing hearing and we can only be invited in by the owner of a household. So don't invite anyone in. Use phrases such as 'would you like some tea?' instead of 'please come in and have some tea'." She looked at Miranda and smiled, who blushed.

"Wait, Elena," said Grayson, holding up a hand as Elena started to gather her things. "Why are you telling us this?"

Elena began to laugh, throwing her head back. "Ugh, I can't believe I forgot! It says in those books that I stay where my family is. Which means, I would love it if you let me live in your home."

An explosion of words emitted into the room. Luckily, Elena was able to make out Grayson say 'absolutely', Evelyn say 'no way', Jeremy say 'hell yeah!' and Miranda simply gasping.

"Evelyn, I get why you don't want me here. I wouldn't want me here."

"So why are you here?"

The sides of Elena's mouth formed a small smile. "Because I need a life. I have been floating for so long, and now I just need a place to land. Don't get mad at her, Grayson."

Grayson looked at her in horror, obviously wondering if she could read minds too.

"Now I really must be going. I have a witch to meet." Elena stood. "Thank you so much for everything. For what you did just then and what you're all about to do. It means the world to me."

Elena began to walk towards the door. "Elena!" Grayson called out once more. She turned.

"I don't mean to be rude, but how did you …" he cocked his head to the side. She knew he meant her death.

"I'll keep it simple, since it's in the journals and I recommend you read them still. I fell in love and someone got in the way."

Grayson nodded, knowing that although it wasn't what he wanted to hear, it was enough for him at that moment. Elena nodded back, and left the house. As she walked down the driveway, she could hear the yelling. Shaking her head, she got into her car.

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><p>If Elena thought that her drive to the Gilbert house was hard, she was wrong. Driving to the Bennett's was like a mission, with its many hills and twists and turns.<p>

She released a sigh of relief as she parked in front of the house. She didn't even bother thinking before exiting her car. She walked down the driveway of a very small and modern home that possessed such a bright colour for its exterior walls and violently bright coloured flowers. Elena wondered if it was just a Mystic Falls thing, as she knocked on the door. As she fixed her hair and tried to clean her teeth with her tongue, she looked through the large window next to the door. She saw a young girl looking through it, her eyes bulging. Elena smiled and pointed at the door. The girl immediately jumped and ran to the door, thrusting it open.

"You must be Elena!" she said a bit too loud. She was quite fashion savvy, and her long black hair fell around her sweater.

"Oh thank goodness you know who I am," Elena said, walking inside. Elena was shocked at first when an invisible barrier stopped her from moving forward, but then she felt incredibly stupid for forgetting.

"Would you like to come in Elena?" the girl asked smiling, stepping aside to let her in.

Elena smiled back, stepping inside. As she did, a woman walked into the living room, smiling as she did so.

"Elena Gilbert, welcome to the Bennett household!" the woman said, stretching out her arms. She went to hug Elena, which she responded with wholeheartedly.

"This is my mother, Bonita," the girl explained as Bonita let go, "and I am Bonnie. I am your witch." The last part of the sentence was said with a large smile, which was quite contagious.

"You seem quite excited," Elena said.

"She has been waiting and training for this day for a while. She's read the journals twice over already," Bonita said, leading the two girls into the living room to sit.

"I am so glad you read Emily's journals," Elena said, relaxing into the couch. "The Gilberts had no clue who and what I was; it was such a tedious thing to explain it all to them."

Both women scoffed at this. Bonnie laid a hand on Elena's, and looked up at her sympathetically. "I am so sorry for your tragedy. I cannot begin to think what kind of horror you had to go through." Elena smiled.

"And out of all of that pain," Bonita said in an epic sort of way, "she was still courageous enough to save our own Emily Bennett. Now our family is in your eternal debt."

Elena sighed. "About that, are you sure? I mean, you know who may still be out there and is after me, it could be such a task to help me out…"

"Elena, shut up," Bonnie said, and her mother laughed. "If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have existed. You are the reason we are all alive. This is the only way we know how to thank you."

Elena laughed herself, sinking into the couch more. "It is so good to be home."

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><p><strong>AR: Thank you for reading! Please review and I will have an update (hopefully) every week. Thank you again!**


	2. No Sleep Tonight

'_**Till Death Do Us Part  
><strong>__Elena has been a vampire for the past 147 years. She has finally given up waiting for her love, Damon, and his brother, Stefan, to find her after being separated all those years ago. As she returns to her hometown to live with her descendants, what happens when she sees Damon again, along with the person who ruined her entire life? AR, AT, OOC._

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><p>AR: It is recommended that you view the "Character Profile" for a better understanding of the, well, characters before reading. R&R!

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><p><strong>Chapter Two – No Sleep Tonight<strong>

Coffee was a very important aspect to Elena's diet: almost as important as blood. She believed it was what kept her sane all these years. Because of this, she was now rummaging through her three suitcases trying to find her very tall thermal mug. Most of its contents were now strewn across her new room. She has been given the guest room, which perched in the corner of the household. It was one of the brightest rooms in the house, with the sun piercing through the windows and reflecting of the pale blue and white décor.

A sigh of relief escaped her mouth as she pulled out her mug; wedged between a pair of shoes she didn't even remember buying. Throwing everything into her new (and very large) walk in wardrobe, Elena pulled on the shoes. She stared at herself in the mirror. She twirled, observing her outfit that she had picked out carefully. The last time she was in high school was more than 20 years ago. She had practically forgotten how it all worked.

Elena bit her lip. Her nose had spotted a scent that was now wafting around her head. Her speedy vampire skills spotted the leaking blood bag immediately. She started to feel her fangs appear, mentally hitting herself. How on earth could she forget about drinking blood last night? She was having such a good time at Bonnie's; it must've slipt her mind. But really, after 147 years?

She picked up the blood bag, and then stepped back in front of the mirror. There she was fangs, veins and all. She widened her mouth, trying to look scary. But she already was. She was a monster. Elena had no clue why she was doing this. She hadn't looked at herself like this in a while. Whenever she did, she felt more disgusted about herself than ever. Sucking on the blood bag, she closed her eyes.

_There she was, back in 1864. She looked beautiful; in the gorgeous dress that her father had bought her. Her mother had just finished doing her hair and had left the room. She twirled once more. She had no idea how her life could get any better than this._

_And then it did. A knock on the door made Elena turn. "Come in," she said, turning back to the mirror. _

_A man walked in. As he closed the door, he let out a loud sigh. "You look absolutely exquisite." He stepped into the light, and then behind Elena, giving her a backward hug. "I am truly the luckiest man in the world."_

_Elena grabbed his left hand in her own. He began to touch the diamond ring on her left hand. "That's where you are wrong, Mr Salvatore," she said, smiling up at him through the mirror. "It is I who is the luckiest girl in the world."_

Elena thanked that she had self-control as she opened her eyes. She breathed in heavily. She had told herself to forget; that it was all a memory. So she did what she always does when this happens; she turned that part off.

She had finished the leaked blood bag, and her face was back to normal. She still felt a bit hungry, so she emptied a blood bag into a cup. Elena then grabbed her things, and made her way into the kitchen.

Evelyn and Jeremy were watching television whilst eating their breakfast. Grayson and Miranda were sitting behind the dining table, both busying themselves with paperwork. Elena was glad to see that the book Grayson was holding was one of the Gilbert journals.

"Good morning," she said, turning around to ensure everyone knew she was there.

They all replied with a simple "morning", but Evelyn simply grunted. Not fazed by this at all, Elena walked over to the coffee machine and began to prepare herself something strong. At the same time, she pulled out a bowl of cereal. She heard footsteps behind her, so she turned. Grayson stood behind her, putting a bookmark into the journal.

"There's a blood stain on the carpet," she said simply, turning back to the coffee machine. "I'll clean it up later."

He gave a completely ironic response to what she had just said, but she realised that he didn't even hear her when he opened his mouth. "This book is _amazing_," he said, awe striking him in the face. "I can't believe that I didn't read it before."

"Me too," Elena smirked, turning to face him, sipping on her blood.

"It is just absolutely amazing, the kind of research that he did on vampires. It's funny though, he labels them as such monsters, but I don't feel like you are one."

As he said this, the coffee machine stopped running, signifying that her drink was ready. Pouring it all into her mug, she gave him a sarcastic smile. "We _are_ monsters. You just don't see it because I like to keep my mortality. Wait until you see a vampire without any. And plus, he wrote that and two other journals before he met me, so he is pretty biased." Elena finished her blood, rinsing the cup under the sink.

Miranda walked into the kitchen, smiling at Elena as she placed her bowl into the sink. "Thank you for your hospitality," Elena said, looking at both Grayson and Miranda. "For that, I have presents for you all."

Jeremy jumped from his seat in front of the television. "Presents?" he repeated, darting towards the kitchen.

"You too, Evelyn," Elena said, knowing that she was going to pretend as if she didn't hear her. Reluctantly, Evelyn rose from her seat, and slowly made her way towards the kitchen. She laid her bowl down, and raised her eyebrows at Elena. At that, Elena pulled out of her hand bag a small jewellery bag. She pulled out two bracelets, and two necklaces.

"These are the vervain jewellery I was talking about," Elena said, handing the bracelets to the girls, and the necklaces to the boys. "Don't ever take them off."

They all picked up their piece of jewellery, examining it. Smiles etched across all faces, except for Evelyn's. "What if I don't want to wear it?"

"Then you won't be protected."

She looked down at her bracelet. "It's ugly."

"Evelyn! I've had enough of this! How dare-"

"Miranda," Elena said, placing a hand on Miranda's arm. "It's okay." She turned to Evelyn. "I understand where you're coming from. You don't want me here. You probably think I'm some sort of abomination. And believe me, sometimes I think that I am too. I will accept the fact that you don't accept me yet, but I will not accept you not wearing the bracelet. Family is important, and you're my family. I want to keep you all safe."

Evelyn stared into Elena's eyes, as if waiting for her to bite her. Taking her eyes off her, Evelyn slowly put the bracelet on. "Just so you'll stop pestering me," she said, avoiding Elena's gaze. She then went upstairs.

Grayson went to open his mouth, but Elena stopped him. "Aren't you all late for work or something?" Nodding in agreement, Grayson and Miranda followed Evelyn upstairs. Jeremy remained, still staring at the necklace he was now wearing.

"Come on, you're going to be late too."

Jeremy dropped his necklace, letting it bounce on his chest. He looked up at Elena, who started to eat her cereal. His train of thought ended as he started at her eating. "Uh, I don't mean to be rude, but why are you eating? I mean, you're practically dead."

Elena smirked. "As long as I stick to a healthy blood diet, my body continues to function as if I am alive."

Jeremy let a small laugh escape his mouth. Then his face became serious. "I'm sorry about Evelyn. She just doesn't get it."

This time, it was Elena who was raising her eyebrows. "Doesn't get it? What's there to get?"

"That you're our family, vampire or not."

Elena put her finished bowl in the sink, smiling. "You may not notice this, but even your parents don't accept me yet. Even though your father says he is intrigued by vampires, he is still wary of me. So is your mother. Evelyn is just letting it all out, not caring about what she says. And then there's you. Why aren't you afraid of me?"

They were interrupted by Evelyn walking down the stairs, throwing books in her bag at the same time. Elena wondered why she hid her figure behind all of those clothes that she wore. She could also tell that Evelyn had made them herself and made a mental note to ask if she could borrow something, if they ever landed on good terms.

"So! How do you guys get to school?"

The simple sentence that Elena hoped to begin conversation between the twins slowly became a failure. She looked between both of them, Evelyn looking busy on her phone and Jeremy giving her a death stare. It was him who finally opened his mouth. "Our friends normally come by."

"Well, considering that I'm going to be attending your school, and since we all live together, I should take you guys."

This caught Evelyn's attention. "You? Enrolling in high school? Aren't you like sick of it?"

"I've actually only attended two high schools; I like to stay away from them. But I would like to be a normal teenager, is that so wrong?" Elena added a laugh to make the last part sound not so sarcastic.

Still unaware of Elena's abilities, she heard Evelyn whisper to herself "yes, it is". Then she turned to Elena, a confused look etched upon her beautiful face. "But there are people there, loads of them."

This made Elena laugh a little too much; even Jeremy had to try and hold in a snigger. "I have been around for _ages_. I think I know self-control."

At this, the squeal of car breaks pierced through the house. Evelyn jumped around trying to see through the window without actually going anywhere near it. She started rushing towards the door, saying a quick farewell to her brother and distant aunt. Elena pursed her lips at Jeremy, who now looked up at Elena disbelievingly.

"Come on, Jer. Let's go to school."

Calling their regards to the parents upstairs, Elena and Jeremy exited the house and were welcomed outside by a strong ray of sunshine. Thanking her lapis luzili, she got into her car, and Jeremy met her in the passenger seat. He was clearly stunned by the size and beauty of her vehicle. Elena reversed out of the drive way and got onto the main road. She turned to Jeremy.

"So why aren't you scared of me?"

You could tell by the look on Jeremy's face that he wished Elena had forgotten about their conversation earlier. He breathed in heavily, trying to choose his words carefully. "There's something about Evelyn you should know. She doesn't like to believe in things that aren't proven. I know you showed us yesterday that you were a vampire, but because you're the only one she's ever seen, she doesn't want to believe it. You shouldn't exist is probably what she's thinking. But I'm not like that. I find what you are … fascinating, weirdly. I used to like to draw demons, especially vampires, because of the detail you need to put into a picture like that to make it believable. So I just find you interesting. I guess that's why I'm not afraid."

They halted at a red light, so Elena looked Jeremy straight into the eyes. "That's good to know. But it's okay to be afraid. I know I was."

"How does one become a vampire anyway?" Jeremy blurted out as the lights turned green.

All of this information processed quickly in Elena's mind, making her grip her steering wheel just that little bit tighter. "No."

She noticed Jeremy's eyebrows rise through her peripheral vision. "No?"

"I know what you're saying. First you said you find me _interesting_, now you want to know how to become like _me_? No."

Jeremy gave a small laugh. "I only asked out of curiosity. And to be completely blunt, I wouldn't want to become a vampire anyway. I've got my whole future planned out already."

Traffic gathered as they entered the surroundings of the school; almost every person who attended Mystic Falls High owned a car, and was sure to drive it every day. They halted once more, only occasionally creeping closer to the school every few minutes.

Elena sighed, pushing her hair out of her face. "Sorry about that. It's just that, I wouldn't wish what I have for anyone. It may seem glamorous, living forever; seeing how the world evolves before your eyes. But in reality it isn't. It was a thrill at first, but a few decades later the feeling soon wears off, and you start to begin to think how your life would've been if you hadn't had died. What you would be doing now. Who you would've married, and what your kids looked like. Instead, I remained in this shell and watched my whole family die literally before my eyes. That's why most vampires turn off all their feelings; it's just so much easier that way. But I don't, I want to experience as much as I can in life, and not be some murderous monster off the leash. I just want to you to understand that, just in case."

By the time Elena finished her small speech about her life, she had parked in the school parking lot. Jeremy nodded at what she said. "I get what you're saying completely. I promise I won't." He gave her a warm smile, verifying that what she had said sunk into his brain. She couldn't help but see her brother in Jeremy's smile, and it instantly made her feel warm on the inside.

She heard a car park beside her. Looking down, Elena saw Bonnie get out of her car. She smiled widely, and Elena returned it. "There's my witch," Elena said, grabbing her things. She got out of her car and met Bonnie.

"Welcome to Mystic Falls," Bonnie said, nudging Elena slightly and winking. She couldn't help but laugh at the irony of Bonnie's statement, but she immediately stopped as Jeremy joined them, looking disbelievingly at Bonnie.

"You?" he questioned. "You're her … _witch_?"

"Okay hold up; let's take about ten steps backwards. You two know each other?"

"Yeah, Jeremy hangs out with my group even though he's in a year below us. Did you know that he's such a player-" Jeremy cleared his throat loudly to stop Bonnie from talking.

Already feeling too old for this kind of confusion, Elena decided on figuring out all the gossip about everyone after meeting Bonnie's friends. From what she had learnt already is that Bonnie is on the cheerleading squad and is best friends with the captain. They also hung out with the captain of the football team and another guy on the team. It already felt like a stereotypical high school.

"Whatever," Elena said after a few moments, realising that they were both waiting for her to answer. "Show me your friends; I'm dying to meet them."

They began to walk through the car park towards the school. It was situated on a small hill dressed in the greenest grass, and had students sitting at the tables or lying in the sun. Elena was already feeling eyes on the back of her head as people began to wonder who she was. Many complimented on her looks, which felt quite good. It was important for her to have a good impression on people, and to fit in smoothly.

"There they are," Bonnie said, describing the group situated on the middle table in the whole grass area. Two guys sat at the table, one blonde and the other brunette. There was also a blonde girl standing next to the brunette, clearly staring down at them. Elena focused on their group, trying to hear what they were saying.

The girl turned to the brunette. "That's the girl Bonnie was talking about."

Elena heard tongue meeting lips as he licked them. "And boy is she hot." She could see from this distance that the girl scowled at this statement. The blonde didn't say anything, as his heard was buried in a book, papers surrounding his space on the table.

They eventually arrived at the table. The girl's sour look turned into the fakest smile Elena has ever seen, and the brunette looked up at her with lust. The blonde's head sunk deeper into the book. Jeremy walked over to the brunette and held up his hand for him to shake, or something. Too memorised by Elena's presence, he pushed his hand away. Jeremy just shrugged and followed the message Elena was trying to send through her eyes, which was "come stand next to me now."

"Guys, this is Elena Gilbert, the girl I was talking about before."

Elena smiled. "Hi."

"Gilbert?" the blonde said, looking between Jeremy and Elena. "You two are related?"

"Yeah we're distant cousins," Jeremy said, putting an arm around Elena.

"This is Caroline" - she pointed at the girl - "Tyler" - the brunette – "and Matt" – the blonde.

"Nice to meet you all," Elena said, trying to seem excited.

"I would totally let you in without a tryout because your body is screaming gymnast," Caroline said in a rush. "But unfortunately we don't need any spaces filled."

Elena could tell that Caroline was trying to be nice, but her bitchiness was covering up her hospitality. Elena decided to follow it the best way she knew how. "It's okay; I didn't really want to be on the squad anyway." She finished the sentence with a smile which Caroline tried to mirror, but couldn't because she was in such disbelief.

"I would love to stay and get to know you guys better," Elena said, looking particularly at Tyler, whom she was slowly becoming more attracted to by the minute. "But I need to give in a few forms to the office."

"You haven't enrolled yet?" Caroline asked with one eyebrow raised.

"Oh I have, but they need to see original documents. Can't exactly send them from New York." Elena laughed and waved at them at the same time, walking towards the school entrance with Bonnie.

"Bonnie! Where are you going? I need to tell you something." Caroline looked desperate and Elena had a feeling that 'something' was her.

"I have to help Elena find her way, and plus I'm her guide, since I already know her and all."

"She doesn't like me," Elena said immediately as they entered the school hall. It was crowded with students at every corner; their voices bouncing of the walls, making a chorus of laughter.

"That's Caroline. Everyone usually thinks that she's the prettiest around here, and then you came. And you just dissed her most favourite thing in the world. Plus, you practically already stole what she's wanted for ages."

"Tyler, I presume?" Elena remembered those dark brown eyes piercing into her own.

"I don't get why she wants him. I mean he's the biggest player in the whole school. So watch out."

Elena giggled, placing a hand on Bonnie's shoulder as they entered the office which was reasonably quieter than the hallway. "It's okay, I like to have a bit of fun too," Elena said seductively, winking at Bonnie as she reached the front desk.

The old woman stared up at Elena with a look of high superiority. She pursed her lips as she did which were suddenly parted when she looked at Elena properly. She could obviously make old ladies speechless, too.

"My name is Elena Gilbert and I'm here to complete my enrolment."

The old woman looked completely baffled at first, but something soon clicked in her brain. "Ah yes! I'll get your file."

She wobbled her chair over to the filing cabinet at the back of the room, not even bothering to get out of her chair. She rolled back into place behind the counter and opened Elena's file. She scanned down her information. "I'll just need a birth certificate please."

Elena pulled out of her bag her 'birth certificate'. She had learnt the trick of using Photoshop to forge documents so she no longer needed to compel someone to do it for her. The old lady matched the two documents, checking whether or not they were the same. She held up the original into the light, and started to make a clicking noise with her tongue.

"This one isn't _original_," she said in a matter of fact tone, placing it in front of Elena. She sighed, knowing this was going to happen.

Elena fixed her glare into the woman's eyes. She began to focus on what lay behind those eyes, and she slowly entered her mind. "Check again," Elena said, feeling her pupils changing as she planted the thought into the ladies' mind. "You will see that it is the original."

She broke from her gaze to fix her hair. The woman shook her head as if she just awoke from a very strange dream. Looking at Elena, she began to do as she was told. "Thank you for bringing the original," she said sweetly. "Here is your timetable and a list of supplies." She handed Elena an envelope. "Bye now."

They exited the office, Elena feeling amused as she checked her timetable. Bonnie, unfortunately, wasn't.

"You didn't have to do that, Elena."

"Yes I did. If I didn't I wouldn't be able to enrol. It's just one of those things I have to do. Now, show me where locker 214 is." Elena pulled out a small silver key from the envelope. Bonnie sighed, a sly smile etching on her face.

She pulled Elena through the hallway and stopped at the group of lockers situated near the cafeteria. "You're right next to me!" Bonnie squealed.

"And me."

Elena turned to see Tyler standing behind her, looking at her with deep lust once more. "How lucky of me," Elena said, winking at him. Caroline popped up from behind Tyler, walking towards Bonnie and opening her locker. It seemed that they all had their lockers in the same space. Matt lifted up the arm Tyler was using to lean against the lockers with, still looking at Elena whilst biting his lip. Clearly unaware of this, Matt stood in front of him.

"Sorry about earlier," he said, holding out his hand for Elena to shake. "I didn't mean to be so rude, but I had to get my English homework done."

"Totally understandable," Elena said, opening her locker and placing her bag inside, pulling out a book and pen. She scanned her timetable to see what she had first.

"Biology in E891," she said, looking over at Bonnie. She showed her timetable, and saw that they both matched.

"Seems we're all in the same class," Tyler said, making stating that they were in the same class a new pick up line. "Which is good: I was in need of a new lab partner."

* * *

><p><strong>I know this is very late – a new term just started at school and I was bombarded with so much homework. I've now gotten much more organized and I have made myself some time on the weekend just to write! So I will hopefully be sticking to my one chapter a week promise.<strong>

**Thank you for all the reviews! They all made me smile. Also, you may notice on my profile that I have linked a few songs, which were my ~inspiration for each chapter and it's name. Hope you enjoy this chapter and review it as well. **


	3. UPDATE

Hi guys!

I am a terrible person, and this is for two basic reasons:

a) this isn't a real chapter update

b) I haven't given one in like, two years.

Let's just say that life caught up with me and I got too busy to write. I had Chapter 3's plot written down and about ¼ done, but never got the time to finish it. But this story has always lingered in my mind (especially whilst pondering after watching a new episode or in the shower). And suddenly on this evening, I remembered and decided to look it up. I read the first chapter and I was quite happy and surprised at myself. It really made me want to write it again! But from scratch.

Last time I was kind of going with the flow, making it up as I went along but I knew what the end goal was. This time, I've gotten an old exercise book and I'm going to make character maps, story lines, character profiles: the works. I want to dedicate myself wholeheartedly to this again. And I don't blame you for not trusting me right away, because I wouldn't either!

The reason I'm posting this is because you'll get a notification about a chapter update and that means you still hoped that I would actually update (or you just don't clear out your alerts). So what I'm going to do is upload this and leave it here until I've got everything sorted, then I'm going to start right from the beginning with a few changes.

Thanks for your patience!

Love, S x


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